Foam plastic shelter



1957 J. F. FURRER ETAL 3,357,142

FOAM PLASTIC SHELTER Filed Oct. 31, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,357,142 FOAM PLASTIC SIEL'IER Jack F. Furrer, Wayland, and George E. Murray, Lexington, Mass, and Charles N. Gardner, Snitland', Md, as-

signors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Oct. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 320,583 4 Claims. (Cl. 52-2) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Flexible membranes of plastic film or the like are precut in desired patterns and are secured to each other by spaced members. Fluids are placed in the space between the films to foam up and erect the films into a shelter. The foam then preferably hardens, although it may remain nonhard.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to structures adapted to form foamed shelters. Such shelters are lightweight and compact, easy to transport, fast and easy to erect, low in cost, long-lived and excellently insulated.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view of the shelter showing three stages in the erection thereof;

FIG. 2. is a cross section through the shelter;

FIG. 3 is a view of one of the strap spacers of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are views of modifications for securing the inner and outer shelter walls together;

FIG. 7 is a view of companion aerosol cans of foaming agents for inflating the shelter walls;

FIG. 8 is a view of alternative apparatus for inflating the shelter walls.

FIG. 1 illustrates the' shelter in its deflated condition in step 1, in its partially inflated condition in step 2 as the foam is filling and forming the shelter, and in its fully erected condition in step 3. A section is cut-away to show the inner and outer walls 2 and 4 with foam 6 therebetween and strap spacers 8 to limit movement of the inner and outer walls relative to each other. Walls 2 and 4 are preferably made of long-lived weather-resistant material for long life.

In FIG. 2 slits are provided at 10, 10, 10", etc. through which foaming agents may be introduced to inflate the shelter and one or more vents 12 may be provided for escape of air or gases during foaming.

FIG. 3 illustrates one of the strap spacers 8 used in FIG. 2. The ends of spacers 8 are attached to walls 2 and 4. FIG. 4 illustrates a plurality of fibers 14 which may be used to replace or to supplement spacers 8. FIG. 5 shows use of a quilted pattern with seals spotted at 16. FIG. 6 shows another pattern of quilted construction with spot seals at 18.

In FIG. 7 aerosol cans A and B are illustrated with valves 20, 22 and mixing nozzle 24. Cans A and B may contain the ingredients of a foaming plastic such as a polyurethane foam and a propelling agent therefor such as dichlorodifluoromethane. When valves 20, 22 are open these ingredients mix and are ejected at 24 under the influence of the propelling agent. The nozzle may be inserted first into slits 10 near the bottom of the shelter and then progressively at higher levels 10', 10", etc.

Within a few minutes the foaming plastic fills the spaces between the inside and outside walls 2, 4 to thereby inflate the tent. A few minutes later the foam hardens and soon cures to a rigid foamed material.

FIG. 8 illustrates a modification in which the foaming agents are inclosed in containers A, B which may be ruptured readily. Thus, a person may stomp on the containers and burst them, briefly agitate and mix the contents, and let the mixture foam to inflate the shelter. Obviously, if the walls are to be ruptured by pressure, they should not be as strong as Walls 2, 4, 26 so that the walls of A, B will rupture in preference to walls 2, 4, 26.

The apparatus described above may be used with the novel method described to produce shelters which are lightweight, compact, easy to transport to a point of erection, fast and easy to erect, low in cost, long-lived and excellently insulated.

We claim:

1. An article of manufacture comprising a structure adapted to form a shelter, said structure comprising flexible members forming inner and outer walls of the shelter when said shelter is erected, spacer means connecting said inner and outer walls and being sufiicient in number and properly spaced to maintain said walls in generally parallel spaced apart relationship when the shelter is erected, said walls being pre-cut in patterns such that the structure assumes a shelter-like form when inflated, a plurality of apertures for insertion of agents which will foam, inflate and thereby erect the shelter, said apertures being located at different levels for insertion of the agents in layers to foam and rigidity at successively higher levels, and means adjacent to the top of the shelter to vent the space between the walls during inflation to permit escape of entrapped air or gases.

2. An article as in claim 1 wherein said spacer means comprise flexible strap spacers.

3. An article as in claim 1 wherein said spacer means comprise flexible spacers of fibers.

4. An article as in claim 1 wherein said walls are secured to each other in a quilted pattern by spot seals.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,649,101 8/1953 Suits 1 2,653,139 9/1953 Sterling 26445 2,812,769 11/1957 Schaefer et a1 264-45 3,007,208 11/1961 Urban 264-45 3,026,573 3/1962 Ciaio 264240 3,055,379 9/1962 Fink 52-2 3,059,253 10/1962 Sager 26454 3,091,053 5/1963 Growald 26445 3,096,001 7/1963 Boe et al. 260-25 3,110,552 l1/1963 Voelker 26445 3,111,569 11/1963 Rubenstein 264--45 3,137,744 6/1964 Burrus 26445 3,150,387 9/1964 Look et al. 264-45 3,205,106 9/ 1965 Cross 264-45 3,213,628 10/1965 Serota 522 3,257,481 6/1966 Chang 264-45 ALEXANDER H. BRODMERKEL, Primary Examiner. ROBERT F. WHITE, Examiner.

P. E. ANDERSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE COMPRISING A STRUCTURE ADAPTED TO FORM A SHELTER, SAID STRUCUTURE COMPRISING FLEXIBLE MEMBERS FORMING INNER AND OUTER WALLS OF THE SHELTER WHEN SAID SHELTER IS ERECTED, SPACER MEANS CONNECTING SAID INNER AND OUTER WALLS AND BEING SUFFICIENT IN NUMBER AND PROPERLY SPACED TO MAINTAIN SAID WALLS IN GENERALLY PARALLEL SPACED APART RELATIONSHIP WHEN THE SHELTER IS ERECTED, SAID WALLS BEING PRE-CUT IN PATTERNS SUCH THAT THE STRUCTURE ASSUMES A SHELTER-LIKE FORM WHEN INFLATED, A PLURALITY OF APERTURES FOR INSERTION OF AGENTS WHICH WILL FOAM, INFLATE AND THEREBY ERECT THE SHELTER, SAID APERTURES BEING LOCATED AT DIFFERENT LEVELS FOR INSERTION OF THE AGENTS 